What is it? Described first by Hans Selye, General Adaptation Syndrome, or GAS, is used to describe the body’s short and long-term reactions to stress. Selye was said to be the “Father of Stress” and the first to give an explanation for biological stress. He first believed that stress was involved with the nervous system and the endocrine system, but later outlined a three stage reaction to stress. These three stages include: the alarm reaction, the resistance stage, and the stage of exhaustion. The first stage is the alarm reaction stage. In this stage you will recognize a danger and prepare to deal with it. Cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline will be released to provide instant energy. If this energy is not used repeatedly through
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Diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, inflammatory diseases, and mental illnesses were categorized as “diseases of adaptation” and were regarded as “errors in our adaptive response to stress” rather than direct results of factures such as germs and toxic substances.
The American Psychiatric Association has also recognized stress as a factor in anxiety disorders, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder. They are both defined as symptomatic reactions to extreme stress, and differ largely in the time frame in which the symptoms develop.
Mental Health Selye’s research helped us understand the link between stress and mental illness, and having this knowledge would also help us in treating it. Treatment usually involves one or more stress reduction strategies which can fall into three categories. These categories include avoiding stressors, changing your reaction to the stressors, or stress after the reaction to the stressors. Some alternative strategies for stress reduction could be exercise, listing to music, and message. There are also psychotherapeutic approaches which attempt to modify the patient’s reaction to stress. For these approaches they often include an analysis of the patient’s individual patterns of response to
Diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, inflammatory diseases, and mental illnesses were categorized as “diseases of adaptation” and were regarded as “errors in our adaptive response to stress” rather than direct results of factures such as germs and toxic substances.
The American Psychiatric Association has also recognized stress as a factor in anxiety disorders, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder. They are both defined as symptomatic reactions to extreme stress, and differ largely in the time frame in which the symptoms develop.
Mental Health Selye’s research helped us understand the link between stress and mental illness, and having this knowledge would also help us in treating it. Treatment usually involves one or more stress reduction strategies which can fall into three categories. These categories include avoiding stressors, changing your reaction to the stressors, or stress after the reaction to the stressors. Some alternative strategies for stress reduction could be exercise, listing to music, and message. There are also psychotherapeutic approaches which attempt to modify the patient’s reaction to stress. For these approaches they often include an analysis of the patient’s individual patterns of response to